How to Work off the Back Foot?

I go to a non-target state school and have been struggling with recruiting. I have not gotten any first rounds after applying to nearly every bank this application season.

I understand that I need to network harder and really get someone to push for me. I just wanted to ask for advice and if there is a certain way I should be going about things. I currently am cold emailing seniors at banks trying to get a call. I have a screener of transactions and try to tailor each email to their group and ask about recent deals.

I am willing to put in the work to do whatever it takes to get even a single response. I just wanted some help as to what I should do, especially with a lot of banks already finishing up their processes.

6 Comments
 
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There are a ton of networking templates on here if you do a search. You don't directly ask for a job, you ask them about their path and any advice / insight or other people you can talk to. Be ready with a list of ~10 questions and have a "script" you run through. Also attach your resume.

The other important thing is being realistic - from a non-target to land BB/EB, even MM, you need an incredibly strong profile. Do you have a 3.8+, multiple internships (or at least one in finance for this summer), really strong involvement etc? If not, you can continue to hustle and maybe you are the lucky non-target that gets through, but your response rate/overall success rate will be a lot lower and you may need to look at smaller boutiques, non-IB jobs that tend to feed into IB, etc.

 

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